Off-campus mental health providers

Finding a community therapist

When students are referred to the local community for psychotherapy, they often have questions about how to find a therapist, navigating health insurance, and making the first appointment. Below are a few guidelines to help you.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have completed a residency in psychiatry. Nurse practitioners or nurse sSpecialists have a master’s in nursing. Both can provide medication management but rarely provide psychotherapy.

Licensed psychologists (PhD, HSPP), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed mental health counselors (LMHC) and licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT) provide psychotherapy but not medication management. They are trained to work with individuals, couples, and families, and sometimes groups. Psychologists also administer testing for psychological and learning disability assessment.

Call the providers with whom you might like to work and do a brief phone interview to see if the provider is a good fit for your needs, and to check if they accept your insurance or have a sliding scale fee.

Toll-free hotlines

• National Suicide Hotline
  800.784.2433
   
• Child-Help USA
  (for survivors of abuse)
  800.422.4453
   
• National Sexual Assault Hotline
  800.656.4673
  
• Transgender Suicide Hotline:
  877.565.8860

List of local providers

Be sure to confirm insurance acceptance with the provider’s office before receiving care.